Sunday, May 7. The finches launched their first group of five children about two weeks ago. Soon thereafter, Mom started cleaning up the nest in preparation for another round. She laid eggs several days ago and has been keeping them warm ever since. Periodically, Dad comes around and feeds her so that she doesn't have to leave the nest.
Visit the photo archives to see pictures of the first brood: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.
Saturday, May 13. Betsy sent an email saying that she had checked in a few times yesterday and always found the nest empty. Not to worry. The mother skeedaddles whenever someone gets near the nest. And, it was so hot yesterday that there was a lot of activity in the nearby pool. But, Mom's very protective of her eggs, and returns as soon as she thinks the coast is clear.
Thursday, May 18. Two baby birds hatched this morning. They're not more than an inch long, and are snuggled deep down in the nest. Sorry you can't see them! I tried mounting a mirror overhead, but it seemed to spook the mother when shen flew toward the nest and saw her own reflection. She wouldn't come back until I removed it. I'll try to mount a video camera on the wall, looking down.
Sunday, May 21. Last night, there were four baby birds and at least one egg in the nest. This morning, only a single bird was left. It looks like a very small one. So, I suspect that some other bird found the nest and snatched all the babies. Perhaps the sole survivor hatched after the attack.
Monday, May 22. This morning, the last baby fell onto the ground. I managed to pick it up and get it back into the nest. It's still moving, but barely. My new theory is that the nest came unstuck from the trellis and tilted back, dropping the birds onto the ground. With a stick and duct tape, I propped up the nest so that it won't tilt anymore. Now, we have to wait and see if the mother comes back.
Update. The mother came back and has been very attentive to the little guy. I just caught a picture of her feeding it. Amazing.
Wednesday, May 24. Little Pheathers Phinch-Phlutter is doing great. It's amazing how fast she's growing. I hope to install a second camera soon, looking down into the nest, so that you can get a better view of her.
A letter we received from papa Phinch:
Dear friends,Phoebe and I wanted to let you know that our one remaining child is doing quite well, and we have every expectation that she will continue to thrive.
Also, as suggested by that little blonde creature who plays in the pool, we've decided to name her Pheathers Phinch-Phlutter.
Regards,
P.D. Phinch and Phoebe Phlutter
Wednesday, May 24. I've installed a miniature camera a few inches above the nest. The image isn't as clear, but it gives you a good view of Pheathers and sometimes of Phoebe and P.D. feeding her. Now, I have to figure out how to display both pictures at the same time.
Thursday, May 25. I installed a second video card in my computer, to make it possible to display images from both cameras simultaneously. (Is this project getting out of control?) Also, I happened to catch a neat shot from above of Phoebe and P.D. feeding Pheathers.
Friday, May 26. Here are some shots from the new mini camera.
Wednesday, May 31. Here are some new shots. Pheathers is getting big! She's also getting very fidgety.
Friday, June 2. I had to turn off the front camera for the weekend. Sorry! In case you missed them, here are some shots from Wednesday.
Monday, June 5. When we got home Sunday afternoon, Pheathers was perched high on the edge of the nest. The parents were calling to her from the nearby dog wood tree. It started to rain. When I checked back at around 6pm, she was gone. Unfortunately, it was too dark to grab an image of her departure. Now, we'll have to see if Phoebe will lay another batch of eggs.
Galya sent us a link to an interesting article about finches, disease, and genetics. And, this WAV file (52K) is a recording of a House Finch from the Cornell Library of Natural Sounds.
Friday, June 9. Well, well, well. Phoebe is building another nest, a little higher in the rose bush. And, she and P.D. seem particularly affectionate these days. Now, I have to reposition the cameras! For the moment, I've got a pretty good shot from the side. The nest is in the center of the image, behind the leaves. I'll clear away some of the leaves after she lays the eggs.
Sunday, June 11. Phoebe has finished the new nest and laid her first egg. And, I've moved the higher-quality camera to a new perch over the nest, for a pretty good view.
Tuesday, June 13. Last Sunday, I grabbed one last shot of Pheathers, minutes before she flew away. This week, Phoebe has laid three eggs so far. It's like a sauna here in Chapel Hill. So, if you drop by to check out the new camera setup, we'll sell you some lemonade, too.
Friday, June 23. It's been almost two weeks, and the eggs still haven't hatched. Phoebe is an attentive mom; she rarely leaves the nest. I love the way she wiggles her butt when she settles in. But, I'm starting to doubt her engineering skills. A few days ago, the nest tipped backwards and one of the eggs almost rolled out. I got it back in, and propped up the nest with a stick and cable ties.
It's supposed to be hot again this weekend. So, if you drop by we'll try to have the lemonade stand open.
Monday, June 26. Three eggs have hatched, one to go. The eggs hatch one a day, presumably in the same order that Phoebe laid them. The first egg hatched on Saturday, 13 days after it was laid.
I grabbed some shots of Babies One and Two over the weekend. Send your suggestions for names to NameTheKids@sidell.org.
Tuesday, June 27. All four babies have hatched. Here are some shots from Monday and the weekend.
Friday, June 30. Yesterday afternoon, one of the babies fell out of the nest. I didn't notice it was missing until several hours later. I found it on the ground, but it was too late. Jessye and I buried it under the rose bush. Phoebe and the other kids don't seem too upset by the loss.
Saturday, July 8. The three kids have been growing quickly, as you can see. Looks like they'll start flying off soon. Here are some shots from the last few days.
Tuesday, July 11. All of the kids have left, one last night after dusk, and the other two this morning. The parents seemed to lure them out of the nest. They perched in the nearby dogwood tree, chirping madly, and made frequent flights back to the nest to get their attention. When a kid took flight, the parents joined her as she flitted about the trees.
Yesterday, I almost caused a catastrophe. I reached up to pull a couple of leaves off the bush to clear the camera's view of the nest. Two of the babies freaked and hopped out. One landed in the bush under the nest and the other took off across the lawn, flying a little but mostly hopping. I figured they weren't ready to be on their own, so I took off after it. I chased it around the yard and finally cornered it near an azalea. When I got close enough, it froze and I was able to pick it up and carry it back to the nest. It got a little tricky when I had to somehow get the step ladder set up while holding the bird in my hands. I rang the doorbell with my elbow, and Beth came out to handle the ladder. When I tried to grab the second bird from the bush, it also hopped to the ground and we had another chase around the yard. I finally caught it near the gas grill, and got it back into the nest, too.
Here are shots from yesterday, including the rescue.
Thursday, July 20. I'm sorry to report that Phoebe has not returned to the nest. So, it looks like she and P.D. are done making babies this year. If you'd like to receive an email alert when we have new developments, send a message to birdcam@sidell.org and I'll add you to the mailing list. Hope to see you next year!
